Last week my mom made goldfish crackers with the kids.

We’ve been taking k to swim lessons on Saturday mornings. Note that n is not the one taking lessons. However, he wanted to wear these ridiculous goggles that D received as a gag gift as part of a roast.

k blowing bubbles. This was a big step for her. She was not a fan of the teacher dunking her under water as part of a game last week, but she’s doing better than expected.

Lunch at Macy’s Signature Kitchen with a restaurant.com certificate. Marcus Samuelson burger and Cat Cora brisket sandwich. Pretty good, though we probably won’t come back any time soon. We also shared a chocolate frozen custard shake, although it didn’t taste very custard-y. Must go back to Strickland’s, I guess.

Does anyone remember our Xanga page? I pretty much forgot about it, but it lives on as a link on our sidebar. FYI, I am resurrecting it, so check it out when you have the chance.

2011 has been a good year for Cal Alum

Aaron Rodgers – 2011 Super Bowl MVP
Jason Kidd – 2011 NBA Champion

Last month I signed up for the Irvine Water District Tour offered free to residents. Kids under 16 are not allowed, so D and I considered it our “date morning”–haha.

Upon sign-in we were greeted with a free conservation kit (shower timer, low-flow showerhead, etc.) They also had Einstein bagels/cream cheese, coffee and juice. The morning started with a presentation explaining the history and politics of IRWD. Next we hopped on a charter bus and went to a nearby desalinization plant.

Three cheers for reverse osmosis!

Our last stop was the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. We saw a presentation on how waste water is recycled to be used in the “purple pipes” that water golf courses, parks, etc. The most interesting part was looking at the micro-organisms that help clean the water. They are active little critters!

After a short walk around the sanctuary, it was lunchtime.

During lunch someone spoke to us about conservation and how to keep our water bills low. At the end we took a survey and received a reuseable bag.

I thought it was nice that they offer this tour to residents. It was pretty interesting to think about the processes that we take for granted. And it is pretty amazing that our access to water is so plentiful and cheap. The tour also pointed out various water tanks and facilities that we drive by all the time in Irvine and pay absolutely no attention to. D and I want to go on the CR&R tour next. j/k; I’m pretty sure they don’t have one, but you know we would go if they did!

I spent so much time last month talking about Japan, I neglected to write about what went on during May. Here are a few snippets:

We went to Taste of Anaheim. We were able to buy BOGO tickets from The Fish. Kids under 5 were free, so we thought we should bring them along. This was the first time we went to the event at the GardenWalk. Let’s just say the set-up was not conducive to bringing two kids in a wagon. (Way too crowded). It should’ve been called Taste of Meat & Hamburgers. The standout was a new restaurant, called The Ranch. D really liked the lamb and I liked the panna cotta with blueberries and pistachios.

We also went to Tanaka Farms for the strawberry tour with my moms’ group. This time we went on a Saturday, so dads could come too. D ate 22 strawberries during the 15 minute free-for-all.

I also painted our water closet, aka “toilet room”. The entire inside of our house came painted in what I call a “bandaid” color, which I am not a fan of. I’ve never really painted before, so I wanted to start out in an inconspicuous place of our house. I color matched Olympic Premium no-VOC paint to Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray at Lowe’s. I don’t have after pictures, but here is a work in progress pics:

We also a did a large item pickup and had CC&R haul away our crib (we didn’t want to give it away since drop-sides are now illegal), a huge HEAVY filing cabinet that came with our garage, along with some miscellaneous items.

We have yet to buy a new bed for k (n will sleep in k’s toddler bed), so this is n’s new sleeping arrangement: his crib mattress on the floor. Actually, both k and n have been sleeping on a blanket on the floor ever since we went camping, but that will be another post.

Press CRTL + Link below:

The List: 2011 Edition

Dim Sum with my mom (and dad and sister) at King Lobster Palace on Saturday morning; Dinner with friends on Saturday night; Breakfast at church on Sunday morning; Dinner made by D on Sunday night. Feeling well-fed and well-loved.

Last Friday I took k + n to a playdate at a bounce house. n was just a little too small to climb up the steps to the slides by himself so I had to join in with them. That was a good workout! Funny, because k had a blast, but when she was n’s age, she wouldn’t even step inside. I ended up having to buy a pair of socks because I wasn’t anticipating having to go inside the bounce houses. However, I’m not complaining because both kids ended up being free with my Entertainment book coupon.

Also, isn’t funny to think that these places didn’t really exist when we were young? I just remember the “ball pit” at Chuck E. Cheese.

Look at who greeted me when I woke up from my nap on Sunday afternoon.

This past weekend we “hiked” up the hill at Citrus Ranch Park. It is an easy, short incline, perfect for little kids. k still felt triumphant when she reached the top and declared it “so beautiful”.

n still wanted to be carried part of the way. D’s next obsession seems to be hiking, so we’ll see how much we can get the kids involved.